


Saving Bond

by Graychocobo



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha Gladiolus Amicitia, Alpha Ignis Scientia, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, BAMF Ignis Scientia, Beta Cor Leonis, Established Relationship -GladNoct, M/M, Multi, Omega Noctis Lucis Caelum, Omega Prompto Argentum, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prompto needs a hug, Rape Aftermath
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-02-27 06:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18733051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graychocobo/pseuds/Graychocobo
Summary: After Prompto is attacked on his way home from work Ignis takes it upon himself to look after him. While Prompto receives some much needed TLC, Ignis plans on tracking down Prompto's attackers. Is Ignis just getting revenge for Prompto because he's a dear friend, or is there something more to it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing this kind of story. I just wanted to give a warning that this story will be focusing on the aftermath of Prompto's attack, and that I'm not going to be writing in detail the attack itself.

Half past midnight, and Ignis was finally making his way out of Noctis’ apartment. It had been a super busy day attending to the omega prince. There were several long meetings that Ignis and Noctis had to attend throughout the day, and a political dinner party earlier that evening.  Highschool had only ended a few months ago. Now  Noctis was slowly taking on more of his father’s responsibilities which meant that both of their days had considerably become busier.  

Ignis had just made it to his car when his cellphone began to ring. He sighed as he took his phone out from his pocket. He half expected the caller id to read Noctis or  Gladio , but for once he was mistaken. For once the caller id rang up as the Prince’s best friend  Prompto . It was unusual for the blonde  to call, and he hardly ever had a need to talk to Ignis directly. The Prince’s omega friend seemed timid around him at the best of times, so this had come as a complete surprise. 

“Hello?  Prompto ?” Ignis asked as he answered the phone.

The voice on the other end of the line was not who he was expecting however. It was a woman’s voice who answered. An unfamiliar one at that.

“Hello? Is this a Mr. Ignis Scientia?” The voice on the other side of the phone asked. 

“Yes. This is Ignis speaking.” Ignis replied. He was about to inquire why the person had  Prompto’s phone but was cut off before he could. 

“*phew* Mr. Scientia I am calling on the behalf of one  Prompto Argentum. There has been an incident earlier this evening and I would like to request your presence at Insomnia General Hospital since his parents cannot be reached. When we asked for someone else, we could contact he suggested we try to contact you instead. ” The female voice replied. 

Ignis felt his stomach drop. His mind was going a mile a minute with se cond with all sorts of scenarios of what had happened. 

“Is  Prompto alright? What kind of incident are we talking about? ” Ignis demanded. His voice was full of worry. 

“The patient is in stable condition, but I am afraid I cannot tell you anything else until you arrive. The police are still questioning Mr. Argentum as we speak. They should be done by the time you get here. ” The lady on the other side of the line stated. 

The Police were involved? Just what kind of trouble did  Prompto get into? Ignis’ nails began to dig into his palm due to how hard he was squeezing.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I should be able to arrive within ten minutes.” Ignis insisted. 

“Thank you kindly, sir.” The woman replied. “We shall be awaiting your arrival. Check in at the front desk and someone will be able to escort you to Mr. Argentum’s room.”  With that the call dropped.

Ignis wasted no time. He shoved his phone into his pocket and got into his car. Quickly he started his car and almost peeled out of the parking lot. He would reach the hospital in record time. The entire time his mind was racing with various scenarios of what may have happened. Everything from the time he checked into the front desk to the time he reached the door of  Prompto’s hospital room was a blur. 

“Mr. Scientia. This is  Prompto Argentum’s room.” His escort said. “I’ll be back after the doctor talks with you in order to fill out the discharge papers for Mr. Argentum. If you have any questions or concerns please push the call button, and someone will be with you shortly.”

Before he could even enter the room Ignis’ alpha nose could smell an omega  in distress. Normally a pleasant aroma of strawberries and lemonade surrounded  Prompto . This however was a smell that was more like wet dog and sour grapes.  The sight that awaited Ignis was not one he could have prepared for.

Cautiously Ignis knocked on the door to alert  Prompto to his presence. There was no response, but Ignis entered the room anyways. Inside  Prompto was sitting up in the bed with his face  buried into a pillow crying softly. His right arm was in a bright pink cast that stood out against the white hospital bedding and walls.  Ignis’ heart sank as he looked at his traumatized friend. Silently he vowed to find out who was responsible and make them pay. For now, Ignis had to push those thoughts to the side. It was more important  for him to comfort  Prompto . 

“ Prompto .” Ignis called out softly. He was doing his best to not startle  Prompto .  He cautiously made his way closer to the blonde. “ Prompto ?” Ignis inquired again. 

It took a few moments, but  Prompto finally acknowledged Ignis’ presence.  He slowly looked up from his pillow and towards his friend. “Hey Iggy....” He mumbled. “ ..... Sorry.” He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else, but nothing came out.

“There’s nothing you need to apologize for,  Prompto .” Ignis was quick to reply. As much as he wanted to place a reassuring hand on the boy’s  shoulder he did not out of fear of possible injuries. 

“But it’s so late at night...  “  Prompto stammered out something else under his breath, but it was too soft for Ignis to hear it. 

“No need to worry about that.” Ignis replied. “I am happy that you trust me enough to reach out to me when you needed help.”

Prompto gave a small smile to Ignis. “Dude. I’m the one who is lucky to have a friend like you.” The smile he had vanished when he looked back at his arm in the bright pink cast. “For what it’s worth though...Thanks.”

“My pleasure.” Ignis nodded. “Now  Prompto ....What happened? I heard that there were police involved in this as well. I know you probably don’t want to talk about what happened, but I would be thankful if you could enlighten me on  some of  the details.”

Prompto knew that this was coming, but he still dreaded the moment when it arrived. Talking about what happened was the last thing that he wanted to do, but he supposed that Ignis at least was owed an explanation. After all he did come to the hospital in the middle of the night to help him.

“I got jumped  by a few guys  on my way home from work.” Prompto mumbled. “It's not a big deal though.”

Ignis shot a questioning glance at  Prompto .  He wasn’t a fan of how the blonde was down playing the situation. “ Prompto .....This is a big deal. Someone intentionally inflicted harm on you. As far as I know t hose people is still prowling around on the streets!”

Before Ignis could continue  Prompto’s doctor entered the room.

“Sorry  to interrupt.” The doctor said as he closed the door behind himself. “I’m afraid that I have something very important to discuss with Mr. Argentum. It is up to you Mr. Argentum if you want your guest to stay in the room  for this. If you want this to stay confidential between you and me is fine as well. The choice is yours. ”

The color drained from  Prompto’s face and he could feel a panic rising. Part of him didn’t want Ignis to hear anything, but he didn’t want to be alone either. Maybe having someone else explain the situation would be easier on himself.  Before Ignis could excuse himself  Prompto grabbed onto his arm with his good hand.

“Please don’t go!”  Prompto pleaded.  “Stay....Please.” 

Ignis smiled in an attempt to comfort his friend. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to. If at any point you think I should excuse myself I will.” 

“ Now that that is settled let us go over a few things before we begin the discharge process.” The Doctor replied. “I’m prescribing some pain killers to help with swelling and inflammation. We will reach out and schedule a follow up appointment in the next few days.” 

So far everything seemed normal, but there was a nagging feeling that this was only just the beginning. The tension in the room only seemed to grow with each passing second. Ignis would not be able to guess what he was about to hear next. 

To be continued..............


	2. Chapter 2

Ignis had just put  Prompto to bed in a guest bedroom of his apartment. The omega cried himself to sleep on Ignis’ shoulder. It had been a long  long night. The clock was now reading 2:30 in the morning. He should feel exhausted, but Ignis instead f ound  himself wide awake. So many thoughts ran through his head. With what he just had learned it was impossible to turn his mind off.  Ignis made his way in to the living room and decided that he was sleeping on the couch for the night. That way he would be nearby  Prompto in case he needed anything. 

As he laid down on the couch, he stared up at the ceiling. He was still in shock from the news he had heard earlier that night.  Prompto had been raped. He still couldn’t get the image of  Prompto crying out of his head. Apparently, a passerby had stumbled onto the scene and called the police/ambulance.  Their sudden arrival had spooked the attackers who quickly fled the scene. Who knows what  they  would have happened if they hadn’t found Prompto when they  did. Luckily the anonymous  beta stayed on the scene until helped arrived and cooperated with the authorities.

How someone could attack the omega was beyond him. He knew that  Pompto lived in one of the poorer residential districts of Insomnia, but it was still considered to be a safe and quiet place to live. He was like a sunflower personified.  Prompto had the ability to make anyone smile and make people want to protect him. He also wasn’t the type to go down without a fight. 

What really broke Ignis’ heart though was  Prompto pleading with him not to let Noctis or  Gladio know about the rape.  Prompto’s reason was that he didn’t want them to stop being friends with him over this.  Ignis tried to tell him that they would never leave him over this, but  Prompto was in hysterics at this point. For what might have been the first time ever,  Prompto spoke without holding anything back.   Prompto told Ignis that it was bad enough that he was a  Nif , but now he proved that he couldn’t even defend himself. How was  Prompto supposed to protect  Noct if he couldn’t even save himself? Ignis had been completely taken back by the comments. Even now  Prompto was trying to put his friends first.

Feeling like sleeping was a lost cause for now, Ignis pulled out his cell phone and sent in a request for some time off for the next few days.  Prompto was going to need all the support he could get. Maybe Cor would be able to cover his duties for now. He certainly would make sure that Noctis made it to all of his appointments on time. That would make things easier. 

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶

An unfamiliar ceiling was the first thing that Prompto saw when he woke up. His whole body ached all over. He couldn’t remember where he was, or how he got there. The more the tried to think about it the more panic set in as memories from last night began to flood in. Prompto didn’t want to remember.  His breath hitched as he began to hyperventilate, he screamed. It wasn’t long before Ignis entered the room. 

“ Prompto .” Ignis spoke softly. “Everything is going to be okay.......Breathe with me.....Nice and slow.” Ignis was extra careful with his approach to  Prompto . The last thing Ignis wanted to invade  Prompto’s space more than he had to, so he sat on the foot of the bed.

It took a bit of coaxing on Ignis’ part but eventually  Prompto’s breathing evened out.  Prompto was still trembling a little bit, but it was a big improvement compared to how he was minutes ago. The smell of distressed omega was also fading as well. 

“Iggy ..... I’m sorry.”  Prompto whimpered.

“Nonsense. You have nothing to apologize for.” Ignis replied.  Normally he would ask at this point if  Prompto felt alright, but considering the circumstance he knew the answer was ‘no’. After all he just survived though an experience that no one should ever have to go through. 

As the smell of distressed omega faded away, Ignis slowly got  up from the bed. He wasn’t sure of what to do or say from there.  So he decided to follow his gut instinct. “I’m going to prepare a light breakfast for you to have with your medications. Do you have any requests?”

“Um ..... I don’t know......Oatmeal maybe?”  Prompto mumbled. He wasn’t very hungry, but it couldn’t hurt to get a little something in his belly.

“Alright. Oatmeal it is then.” Ignis replied. “Please take it easy until its ready, Prompto. I’ll come and get you when it is ready.”

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶

While the oatmeal with fresh apple slices with cinnamon was heating up on a stove Ignis’ phone began to ring. A familiar name appeared on the collar id. It was Cor. Ignis had a feeling that he would be calling sooner rather than later. Afterall Cor was the only person besides the police who now knew of the situation. Ignis had to give Cor the reason of why he needed time off after all.  

“Hello.” Ignis said as he answered the phone.

“Rare for you to take a day off from work, Ignis.” Cor stated. “How is he?”

“Stable for now.  Prompto had a minor panic attack this morning, but I was able to help him calm down. I have him taking it easy for now.” Ignis replied. 

“Is that so?” Cor replied. “I arranged for the police to cooperate with the crown for the remainder of the investigation. Since  Prompto enlisted into the  Crownsguard I am able to use my influence to order limit the amount of information that the police release to the media.”

“Thank you, Marshal.” Ignis replied. “I take it that Prince Noctis is still unaware of the situation?”

“That is correct.” Cor said. “As of right now he is in the middle of his training with Gladio. Both of them have not been made aware of the situation. Although Prince Noctis is suspicious as to why you called out.”

Ignis thanked the Marshal again.  For  now he had bought some time before he would have to let Noctis know that  Prompto had been attacked. “Alright. I’ll keep you posted on how  Prompto is holding up. Please let me know if you are able to track down any leads on who his attackers might  be. The sooner they are off the street then the better.” 

With that the phone call ended. Ignis returned to his task of preparing  Prompto’s breakfast. Soon he had a little tray set up with a bowl of hot oatmeal and a glass of apple juice. He would return for his own breakfast later. Carefully Ignis made his way back to his guest room where Prompto awaited. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to point out that in this story GladNoct is already an established thing in this story. They have been a bonded pair for a few years already. I might write a one shot to explain how they got together if anyone would be interested in reading it. Anyways I hope you continue to enjoy this story! ╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )╯

It was much later in the day. Somewhere between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. Noctis silently pouted. It seemed like these meetings were going on forever. He couldn’t wait for them to be over.  

It had been several hours since the meeting had started, and at this point Noctis was sure that the old men in the room with him just liked to hear themselves talk. All they were supposed to do was to agree on a design for the new park that was to celebrate 60 years of equality. The design for the park had been agreed upon over an hour ago, but somehow these old men still found something new to bicker about. How someone could argue for over an hour on flower colors was beyond him.  

Just before Noctis was about to lose it Cor entered the room. Noctis was never so happy to see the beta in his life.  “Pardon the intrusion, but his Highness must head to his next engagement. I do hope you all understand.” With that Cor helped Noctis from his seat and made his way out of the room with Noctis following close behind.  

As the two exited the room Cor turned to the Prince and said, “After lunch with Gladio, you just have to sit in on the council meeting with your father. It shouldn’t be a long one. That’s all that is left for your schedule today.” 

“Yay another meeting, I can’t wait.” Noctis frowned. Being royalty was nothing like how tv and books made it seem. So much of it was meetings and political conferences rather than anything like ‘Gem of Thrones’ made it out to be.  At least today though he would be having lunch with Gladio.  

Cor wasn’t the most talkative in the world and remained silent as they made their way to the garden dining room where Gladio awaited. Once Noctis entered the room Cor walked away. He still had his own duties to take care of on top of handling Ignis’ today.  

“You look tired, Princess.” Gladio teased. 

“Thanks to you. Basically, kicked my ass this morning in training, and then got sent off to that stupidly long meeting. You try listening to those old men go on about flowers then.” Noctis replied.  

Gladio chuckled at his omega. Noctis was just being moody since he hadn’t heard from Ignis or Prompto all day. “Aww don’t be like that.” 

Noctis glared at Gladio, but quickly lost it when he sighed. “Still though. Its not like Ignis to call out on short notice like this....Prompto still hasn’t responded to my last text either. What is up with today?” 

“I don’t know about Iggy, but you know how busy Prompto has been between work and training. If nothing else at least we get to spend the evening together.” Gladio shrugged.  

“I guess.” Noctis mumbled. “I just wish I could shake the feeling like something bed happened.” 

“Best not to worry about that now.” Gladio replied. “It looks like lunch has arrived.” 

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶ 

The morning had gone by quickly. After Prompto had breakfast he fell back asleep. His pain had started coming back, so it was for the best that he took it easy until the pain medications started to work. Ignis couldn’t imagine how painful the broken arm was.  The poor guy was exhausted and deserved to rest up as much as he needed to. Unless the authorities found more information about Prompto’s attackers last night it wasn’t likely they were going to bother them today.  

Ignis on the other hand made himself busy doing things around his apartment. The first thing he had done after making sure Prompto had taken his meds was to call Prompto’s job and explain that Prompto would not be able to make it in for a while. After that Ignis had gone through his old clothing to put together something that Prompto could wear if he decided to get up. Prompto’s original clothing had been torn up in the attack, and taken by the police as evidence. The hospital had provided some scrubs for Prompto to wear, but Ignis figured that he would be more comfortable in something more casual. Once he found something that wouldn’t be too big for Prompto he set the outfit aside on the dresser in the guest room. 

 From there he began to prep some food for lunch. Unfortunately, Ignis lacked some of the ingredients to make Prompto’s favorite curry or bean bowl at the moment. Still he was not deterred from trying to make a nice and healthy for Prompto to eat. Rummaging around his kitchen he took a mental note of what he had in stock. He had a nice supply of carrots, celery, potatoes, and a decent amount of meat. A nice and hearty stew would do nicely. 

The stew had been simmering for a little over an hour when Prompto walked into the room. Hopefully the meds had done their job, and Prompto wasn’t in much pain. He looked tired still, but at least the color was starting to come back. Prompto was also wearing the clothes that Ignis had laid out for him. 

“Hey...Iggs.” Prompto mumbled. “What smells so good?” 

Ignis couldn’t help but smile at the improvement in Prompto’s coloring. “For lunch I decided to prepare a dry-aged tender roast stew. Nothing special.” Ignis answered. “It still won’t be ready for a while though.” 

“Uh....um...” Prompto nervously fidgeted. He had something that he wanted to say, but wasn’t sure how to word it. “Thanks again.....you know for last night? I know I-I'm not Noct, so I’m not your responsibility, but you went out of your way to help me..........I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you for this. I really owe you one.” 

Ignis gave Prompto a gentle smile. “You don’t owe me anything, Prompto. That’s what friends do. I am just happy that you trusted me enough to contact me when you were in need.” 

Prompto looked like he was about to object, but held his tounge. Instead he changed the subject. He bowed his head slightly.  “T-Then I hope you don’t mind if I stay here for a few days....Since I got attacked so close to home I don’t think I’d feel safe there, you know? But if it is not okay then I totally understand....Don’t want to over stay my welcome or anything.....And I’m already imposing on you so I won’t hold it against you if you would prefer me not to...” At this point Prompto was rambling.  

Ignis decided to take a chance, and gently hugged Prompto. “I won’t mind at all.” He said. “In fact I was actually going to inquire if you would like to stay until you feel recovered over lunch.”  

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Prompto had spent most of the day taking it easy, and nursing his broken arm. Ignis had been taking good care of him. Making sure he took he meds at the right times, and preparing meals for them to enjoy together. Ignis had set Prompto up comfortably on the couch and gave him free reign of the tv while Ignis settled on reading. The day had been going smoothly until Prompto finally got a chance after dinner to look at his phone. He had several missed calls and some messages. Most of them were from Noct. Nervously he opened them up to read them. 

_ 9 AM Noctis: Hey Prom. Want to hang after work today?  _ _ Anyways I bet you wouldn’t believe who called out of work today! Ignis has just taken his first personal day in like years! I wonder what he’s up to? Got any ideas? _

_ *Missed Call - Noctis _

_ 10:25 AM Noctis: I forgot you had the late shift last night. You probably are still sleeping. Lol. Just send me a txt when you’re awake, alright? _

_ 2:45 PM Noctis: Hey...Hope I’m not bothering you but it is around 3ish and I still haven’t heard from you. Is everything alright?  _

_3:00 PM Noctis: Did you get stuck with a double again?_

_ 3:06 PM  _ _ Gladio _ _ : Hey blondie. Princess here is starting to get really worried since he hadn’t heard from you at all today. Just send him a message when you can.  _

_ 4 _ _ :30 PM Noctis: I don’t want to bother you but I’m worried. Usually I would have heard from you by now _ _..... _ _ You didn’t fall sick again did you? If you did make sure to rest up and take your stomach meds. Get back to me when you can! _

Prompto felt a little guilty. Noctis could be such a worry wart sometimes, but it wasn’t like he didn’t understand why. Noctis hadn’t had any friends before, and he was terrified of losing people close to him. Something to do with when he was attacked by a demon as a child and people dying as a result trying to protect him. 

He frowned as he attempted to write a message. He would write a few words, but quickly delete them. Nothing seemed right. He had no idea what to write.  Prompto wasn’t about to be like ‘Hey I got attacked on my way home from work last night by several men, and guess what they took turns raping me.’  Prompto already felt humiliated enough that it happened. Admitting it to other people just made him feel worse.  He wasn’t ready to let Noctis know what happened yet.  Prompto was scared that Noctis might notice how pathetic he was and end their friendship.  H e hated how weak he felt as he tears began to form in his eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” Ignis asked as he sat down beside  Prompto . He had been cleaning up the dishes from their  meal before he entered the room. 

Prompto bit his lip as he looked towards Ignis. He shoved the phone into the other’s hands.  It was all he could do at the moment. He felt like he was about to start crying any second now. 

Ignis looked at the phone, and much was explained. Given how adamant he was against Noctis finding out about the attack last night it wasn’t surprising that he would get emotional from seeing the missed messages on his phone. Ignis couldn’t even begin to imagine all the complex feelings that  Prompto must be going through right now.

“Prompto....Look at me please.” Ignis said softly. “You don’t have to answer those messages right now if you do not wish to. I’m sure Noctis will understand.” 

“B-But...”  Prompto whimpered. “Wouldn’t that make me a worse friend then I already am?”

As much as Ignis wanted to scold  Prompto for his remark Ignis knew that  Prompto wasn’t well at the moment. “Now....Prompto. Listen to me. I don’t know where you got the idea that you’re a bad friend from, but that simply isn’t true. I know it must be hard for you right now, but I am certain that Noctis does not think so as well.”

Prompto was silent as tears fell. He was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t even speak. Shaking he covered his face in his hands as he let the tears fall freely. Little whimpers escaped his lips as he cried. 

Ignis gently rubbed circles on  Prompto’s back. His main focus right now was to get him to calm down, and prevent the anxiety attack from getting any worse. Ignis tired his best to be as calming as possible. Once  Prompto’s breath evened out Ignis pulled away. 

“Feeling any better now?” Ignis asked.

Prompto nodded in between a few sniffles. 

“If it would make you feel any better, I could respond to Noctis for you.” Ignis offered. 

“Really?”  Prompto looked shocked by the offer. 

“Of course.” Ignis replied. “I’ll just tell him that something came up and that you’ll busy for a few days.” 

With that Ignis wrote a quick response to Noctis on  Prompto’s phone. It was plain and simple and to the point. The message read: ‘ _ Sorry I haven’t responded to your messages earlier. Something unexpected came up, and I might be busy for a while. Sorry for worrying you!’ _

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶  

Noctis almost jumped from his seat when he felt his phone vibrate, and startled  Gladio in the process. The two had been cuddling on the couch in Noctis room watching a cheesy romance flick together. It had been  Gladio’s idea to watch it in order to calm Noctis down once his busy day of meetings was over. 

“It’s from Prompto!” Noctis exclaimed as he looked down at his phone. 

“See I told you that there was nothing to worry about, babe.”  Gladio smirked. “ So what did Blondie say?”

It took a moment for Noctis to open up the message on his phone. He quickly skimmed over the message before reading it aloud to  Gladio . The message brought a little bit of comfort to the Prince, but something still bugged him. That nagging feeling that something bad had happened still lingered in the back of the Prince’s mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to start picking up the pace in the next chapter! Hope you look forward to it!


	5. Chapter 5

It was early in the morning when Ignis’ cellphone rang. According to his clock it was barely 6am.  Luckily for whoever was calling Ignis was an early bird who had already started his morning an hour earlier. He was in the middle of preparing ingredients to make breakfast when the call came in. Without checking the caller id Ignis answered the phone.

“Hello?” Ignis answered. 

“Good morning, Scientia.” Cor’s voice replied. “Before I explain why I am calling please turn your television on to channel 4. You’re going to want to see this.”

With no hesitation Ignis made his way to his living room, and turned on the tv.  He turned the volume down as to not wake  Prompto while a commercial finished playing. The next thing he saw was the Insomnia Today’s logo display on the tv followed by a breaking news in all caps.

_ “Welcome to Insomnia To _ _ day _ _ on News Channel 4.” The lad _ _ y on the Tv said. “Today, in Breaking News: Serial Rapists on the loose!  In the past week there have been multiple reports of attacks in the same area of Insomnia’s lower quarter.  All of the victims are omegas who were walking alone at night before they were viciously attacked. The most recent attack left the victim, a young man, with a broken arm among other minor injuries. The suspects are described as two men in their mid to late 30s, and are considered armed and dangerous. The police chief is going to be holding a press conference later on this afternoon where they plan to release more information on this case. Until then the Police urge the public to remain vigilant and cautious, and to not walk alone at night. Now on to our next story.......”  _

Ignis couldn’t believe what he had just watched. He knew that this was a probably going to happen, but that still didn’t make it any easier to watch. His stomach sank. 

“Cor...” Ignis managed to say. He was almost speechless. 

“I got the media to hold back as much information as I could, but due to new developments in  Prompto’s case my hands are tied. With the new developments in the case the public needed to be warned of the potential danger.” Cor paused. “During the press conference the civilian who alerted the authorities in  Prompto’s case will be there and will be making a statement. The police might reach out to interview  Prompto again later on this afternoon, so please keep an eye over him.”

“I understand.” Ignis replied. “Thank you for the heads up... I’ll talk with him later on about that. ”

“How is  Prompto holding up?” Cor inquired. 

“About as well one can expect. He’s in a very delicate state emotionally. He’s terrified of people finding out what happened, and is beating himself up over it.” Ignis sighed.  “ Prompto has had panic attacks over the idea of Noctis finding out. I’m not sure what to do anymore.”

“I take it then that he hasn’t told Noctis or  Gladio then?” Cor said mostly to himself. “I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to keep this from them. Especially since I don’t know what information is going to be released at the press conference later. ” Cor stated bluntly. “ Noctis is a lot smarter than people give him credit for. Between your sudden leave from work, and  Prompto’s sudden lack of replying to him, and the media’s reports, Noctis will be able to connect the dots sooner rather than later... Its not like we can hide  Prompto forever from Noctis. We must be prepared that he will address us about this situation in the near  future .”

“What a mess.....I’ll keep that in mind. Hopefully He’ll be ready when the time comes.” Ignis replied. Deep in his heart Ignis wanted to let Prompto to talk when he was ready, but in this situation, he might get outed before he even has the chance to come to terms with it himself. No one should ever be forced to disclose such personal information. 

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶

Unknown to Ignis,  Prompto was already awake. He was having trouble sleeping through the night.  Nightmares plagued his mind every time he started to dream. Each time he would wake up in a cold sweat.  Prompto had lost track of time watching the ceiling.

A sudden sound broke him from his thoughts. The chime of Ignis’ cellphone could be heard from the other room. He could hear Ignis talking with someone before the footsteps drew closer. Ignis had entered the living room that was right next to the bed room he was staying in. Even though he knew it was bad, Prompto couldn’t help wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation. 

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Prompto slowly slid down the side of the door and started to cry silently. He had heard every word of the news report and at least Ignis’ side of the phone conversation.  Prompto could guess what the person on the other side of the conversation was saying, but he had heard enough to get the idea of what was going on. 

Noctis was going to find out, and not talking about it was putting Ignis in a tight spot. A huge range of emotions flowed over him. Shame. Embarrassment. Sorrow. Anger.  Confusion.  Prompto wasn’t sure what he was feeling anymore. He was too tired to try and figure it out anymore. 

This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair at all.  Prompto thought to himself. He was robbed of his sense of security, and now he wasn’t even able to process it on his own terms.  Prompto waged an internal battle with himself on what he should do now. Should he talk, even though he didn’t feel ready for it? Should he just pretend that nothing is wrong and live in denial of the event? What about the other victims? Are they suffering just like he was? Could talking about it help prevent other people from enduring what he endured?

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶

It had been a while since Ignis had gotten off of the phone with the Marshal. His mind was racing, and he was doing his best to distract himself by making a quiche for breakfast. Ignis couldn’t even hear  Prompto’s footsteps as the other entered the kitchen. 

“Ignis...”  Prompto called out.

Ignis was surprised by sudden appearance, but what caught him off guard the most was  Prompto’s red puffy eyes. Had the other been crying? He quickly walked over to the other full of concern.

“Prompto? Is everything alright?” Ignis asked as he looked over the younger man. However, Prompto’s response was the last thing that Ignis expected to hear.  

“I want.....no I need to see Noctis!” 


	6. Chapter 6

Ignis was caught off guard by  Prompto’s sudden request. He couldn’t help the twinge of guilt he felt.  Prompto’s eyes were red and puffy as if he had been crying for a long time. It wasn’t hard to put together that  Prompto must have overheard his conversation with Cor earlier.  Prompto must have decided to talk to Noctis after a lot of emotional turmoil. Ignis hadn’t meant to upset Prompto, but it was too late for that now. Quickly he called back Cor to try and see if he could cancel Noctis’ morning meetings to allow Prompto to see his friend as soon as possible. 

Breakfast with  Prompto that morning had been very quiet. It was a heavy atmosphere that suffocated the room. Neither  Prompto or Ignis made much effort to talk. Both of them were preparing for their meeting with Noctis later that morning. No one knew how the Prince was going to handle the news, but hopefully things would feel lighter afterwards. 

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶   

7:00 am was when Noctis’ phone began to ring. Normally Noctis would be able to sleep through it, but this time he was sharing his bed with  Gladio who was a light sleeper.  Noctis groaned and snuggled deeper in the blankets completely content with ignoring the phone call.  Gladio on the other hand was already wide awake and checking Noctis’ phone for him. It wasn’t long before Noctis felt Gladio gently shaking him awake. 

“ Noct . Time to wake up. The Marshal is calling.”  Gladio said as he continued to nudge the sleeping Prince. 

Groggily the Prince sat up and held his hand out for his phone which  Gladio soon passed to him. 

“Cor?......What do you want this early?” Noctis yawned. 

“Thought you would want to know that I have taken the liberty to cancel your plans for today. Consider yourself lucky that you got a day off.” Cor began with. “On the other  hand, .... You have another kind of meeting to attend this morning. After that you’ll be free for the rest of the day. Please get ready as soon as possible.”

The joy of having his day canceled was soon replaced with a sense of dread. He wasn’t sure if he liked where this was going.  There had to be a catch to this day off. There was no way that Cor would allow him to play hooky for a day for no reason. 

“What do you mean?” Noctis demanded. “What kind of meeting are you talking about?”

“It is not my place to disclose the details at the moment. The only thing I can tell you is that Ignis and  Prompto are on their way to talk to you about something very important.” Cor replied. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

Before Noctis had the chance to say anything he heard the sound of Cor hanging up on him. Way to drop a bomb on him and just leave the next second. If Noctis wasn’t awake before he certainly was now. 

“What did Cor want? Is everything okay?”  Gladio asked as Noctis stared down at his phone. 

“I have no idea.” Noctis sighed. “Good news is today we have a free day. On the other hand, I have no clue what caused him to cancel today’s schedule.  Something is up with  Prompto and Ignis, and Cor didn’t give me any clues as to what. Guess they are on their way over here now to talk about whatever is going on.”

“Well, look on the bright side Princess. You wanted to find out what  Prompto and Ignis were up to, and now you have a chance to find out.”  Gladio responded with a small smile before flicking his omega’s forehead. “ So, stop that pouting and let's get ready. I’m sure things will work themselves out,  Noct .”

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶  

Ignis and  Prompto had just finished making their way through the security check point in the Citadel when Cor appeared to greet them.  Prompto looked like a nervous wreck, and Ignis looked concerned. The smell of sour lemons and burnt coffee was filling the room. The distressed omega and alpha sent did not make for a pleasant combination. Both of the young men looked as though they were carrying the world on their shoulders. 

“I hope it is alright that I arranged for you to talk in the Royal Garden.” Cor said as he put a hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “It was the most peaceful place I could think of. No one is allowed in there until your meeting with Noctis is over.”

“Thank you.” Ignis sighed. “Once again I am in your debt.”

“Think nothing of it.” Cor replied before he turned his attention to  Prompto . “I know things are extremely hard for you right now, but if you ever need me … I will be there for you.” He opened his mouth for a second and then quickly closed it. What he was going to say could wait for another time. 

Prompto nodded his head as he grabbed Ignis’ arm for support. The blonde omega was doing his best to keep himself together. Quietly Cor thought to himself about how strong and brave the boy in front of him was. It takes a lot of courage in order to have the talk he was about to have with his friend. The walk to the garden was daunting.  Prompto seemed to get more nervous with every step. Once they were in front of the entry Ignis stopped  Prompto in order to calm him down one more time. 

“Breathe with me.” Ignis said as he gently as he could. After  Prompto’s breathing evened out a bit, Ignis spoke again. “Prompto.....You do not have to say anything that you are not ready to. Just take your time and do things at your own pace. Everything will be fine.”

“A-Alright.”  Prompto bit his lip. 

“One more thing.” Ignis added in. “Just remember that I will be by your side throughout all of  this. You are not alone. “

“The Prince and  Gladio are already waiting for you inside. I’ll be waiting out here and guarding the door.” Cor said as he opened the door for the two young men. 

⊶⊶⊶ ⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶  

Noctis felt anxious the entire time he and  Gladio were waiting.  Gladio did his best to try and keep the mood light, but Noctis was still worried about this. His mind was making up stories as to what could be going on. Each one was worse than the last. Every time his mind wandered too far  Gladio would bring him back to reality with a small kiss on his  forehead . 

Then it happened. The first thing to hit them was the faint smell of cleaning chemicals and something burnt. Then, Ignis and  Prompto slowly came into view. Well more like Ignis came into view and  Prompto was cowering behind him. Something didn’t feel right. Still the Prince resisted the urge to demand to know what was going on. The tension was soon broken by Ignis.

“Sorry for the sudden request of this meeting.” Ignis started. “Please do understand that this talk is of the utmost importance....”

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Noctis demanded. He hoped he didn’t sound too snippy, but he wasn’t sure if he liked where this was going.  Something felt really off about this whole situation. 

“Easy,  Noct .”  Gladio warned. Adding to the tension that was already filling the garden wasn’t about to help anyone. It was unusual for Noctis to be so worked up.  Sure, the smell of distress filled the air, but maybe Noctis was picking up on something  Gladio couldn’t. Could be an omega thing....

“I-I  ….I’m sorry!”  Prompto cried out as tears began to fall.  Prompto buried his face in his hands as he kept repeating ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again.

Everyone’s attention turned to  Prompto . He was shaking like a baby deer trying to stand for the first time. Noctis quickly rushed over to his friend. He pulled  Prompto into a hug and tired his best to release a calming sent.  It was then that he noticed the bright pink cast on his friend’s arm. 

“Prompto? What happened?” Noctis asked. Noctis received no answer from his friend. He looked over at Ignis for any clues, but the alpha looked down at the ground. 

It took  Prompto a while to calm down enough to say, “Promise not to be mad at me?”. To which Noctis assured his friend that he couldn’t possibly be mad at him, and asked him yet again to explain what was going on. 

“The other night ....When I was on my way home from work ..... ”  Prompto mumbled a bit. “I- I was attacked by two men...and they forced me...to …..to....I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore.” From there Prompto broke down completely. “I didn’t want them to- but – but they forced me! I couldn’t fight them off!” He cried. “They raped me!” Prompto crumbled into Noctis’ arms and cried his heart out. 

Noctis was shocked by the news. He felt  anger building up  inside of him, and was doing his best to hide it from  Prompto . Whoever was tried to hurt his friend was going to pay dearly. He would make sure of it. In the  meantime, he tried his best to calm down  Prompto . 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while to come out. I had lost my original draft of this chapter so I had to rewrite everything. It took a few tries before I got something kind of close to what I had originally wrote.

Noctis hugged  Prompto tightly as he cried. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what  Prompto had gone through.  Gladio looked just as shocked by the news. Ignis on the other hand just looked at the ground with a frown. As much as  Gladio and Noctis wanted to ask various questions it just wasn’t the right time for it. Right now, their top priority was to support  Prompto and calm him down. 

“It ' s okay, Prom. Everything is going to be okay.” Noctis whispered. “ There is nothing for you to apologize for.” He rubbed tiny circles on his friend’s back in an attempt to calm him down. Even though they were about the same height  Prompto seemed so small against him. 

“S-So does that mean you still want to be friends with me?”  Prompto asked under his breath.  

“Of course, it does.” Noctis said with a small smile. “I could never ask for a better friend than you.”

“Looks like you’re stuck with us,  Prompto .”  Gladio added. “Besides, it isn’t like you did anything wrong.  It's those bastards that are going to pay the price for hurting you.””

A new wave of crying took over  Prompto as he heard his friends. A wave of relief hit. It felt like a giant weight was taken off of his shoulders suddenly. This time the tears were not out of sadness and  frustration , but instead of happiness. 

Noctis took this moment to decide that it would be best for the two omegas to spend some time doing something fun like play their favorite video games. After all what binds friends tighter than the bond of video games? If anything, Prompto deserved to have a bit of princely TLC today. 

“Hey  Prompto ....I got the new King’s Knight game that just came out a few weeks ago.  Wanna check it out?” Noctis asked. 

Prompto chuckled a little bit. His voice was a bit hoarse from all of the crying, but a bit of the regular  Prompto was finally showing again.  “As if you even have to ask. I’ve been dying to play that!”

 It looked like this would also be a good time for  Gladio to check on how Ignis was handling the situation.  Ignis was acting a little off, and  Gladio wasn’t sure if it was because of the situation or if something else was eating at the younger male.  The older alphas in the room had been best friends for as long  as they could remember. Once the two younger boys were settled in playing video games  Gladio took this chance to take Ignis into another room. 

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“Are you holding up okay?”  Gladio asked as they made their way into the kitchen.

“I assure you I am fine, Gladiolus.” Ignis replied before he yawned slightly. 

“You don’t look fine to me.”  Gladio exclaimed. “ I know this must be hard on you.”

Ignis took in a deep breath to compose himself before he replied to  Gladio . He was about ready to snap at  Gladio , but it wasn’t the other man’s fault. He was upset with himself.  “Surely you know that no one expects a situation like this to happen to someone they know.  No one knows for sure how they are going to handle these kinds of situations. I’m afraid that I might have messed things up a bit ..... ” Ignis sighed. 

“Messed up? Why do you think so?”  Gladio asked in earnest. He wasn’t sure where Ignis was going to go with this, but if his friend needed his help then he would gladly do so. 

“I fear I may have pressured  Prompto to talk before he was ready to do so.” Ignis replied as he put his head in his hand. “He happened to over hear me talking with the Marshal this morning. There is a news conference being held in a little while about string of violent attacks on Omegas recently, and  Prompto’s is front and center. I had mentioned that it was only a matter of time before people figured out that  Prompto was involved, and that we were running out of time.  Shortly after  Prompto came up to me and demanded to see you and Noctis. He wouldn’t even look at me on the entire ride up here. I think I royaly screwed this up.”

Gladio remained  queit for a few moments after Ignis had finished talking. “Well what is done is done.”  Gladio shrugged. “I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself though. You were only trying to look out for him, and it wasn’t like you intended for force him to do anything against his will.  Promptos going tough a really rough time at the moment, and his emotions are naturally all over the place. I know that he probably feeling a little hurt at the moment, but I am sure the kid is going to come around eventually. Kid has a lot more to him than being some  fragile omega after all. “

“I suppose you are right.” Ignis sighed. Maybe he was just being impatient, or maybe it was because he cared about the sunshine boy so much. Regardless a new feeling was growing inside of Ignis’ heart and was beginning to make itself known.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A tv currently tuned into the Insomnia News was playing softly in the background.

“ _ Thank you again sir for your brave testimony.” _

The news anchor said to the man next to them. 

_ “You heard it first here on Insomnia Breaking News. The police are warning all citizens to remain vigilant as the suspects are still on the loose. They are considered to be armed and dangerous.  Please remain cautious and try not to avoid traveling alone at night.” _

With that the tv shut off. 

“Looks like the damn police are finally starting to get serious.” A deep voice said. “Well looks like the fun is only just about to start.”


End file.
